---
title: "玄奘三藏師資傳叢書 · No. 1651-2 大唐三藏大遍覺法師塔銘(并序)"
description: "玄奘三藏師資傳叢書由日本佛教学者佐伯定胤與中野達慧共同編纂，成書於日本明治至昭和時期。該書系統輯錄了唐代高僧玄奘三藏及其弟子們的傳記、著述與師承關係，內容涵蓋史料彙編、注疏考證及佛教思想研究。叢書深入梳理了唯識學在東亞的傳承脈絡，對研究漢傳佛教史、玄奘學說及中日佛教文化交流具有重要學術價值，被視為佛學研究領域的權威文獻之一。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmcwz5rb001bjjl04honzmhtc"
---

### No. 1651-2大唐三藏大遍覺法師塔銘并序

> Inscription for the Pagoda of the Tripitaka Master, Great Enlightener of the Great Tang <note>with preface</note>

朝議郎撿校尚書屯田郎中使持節洺州諸軍事守洺州刺史兼侍御史上柱國賜緋魚袋劉軻撰

> Written by Liu Ke

安國寺內供奉講論沙門　建初　書

> An Guo Temple Lecturing Monk Jianchu Writes

歲丁巳開成紀元之明年。有具壽沙門曰令撿。自上京抵洛師以縹囊盛三藏遺文傳記。訪余柴門于行修里。且曰。聞夫子斧藻羣言舊矣。詎直專聲於班馬。能不為釋氏董狐耶。抑豈不聞貞觀初慈恩三藏之事乎。敢矢厥來旨云　三藏事跡。載國史及慈恩傳。今塔在長安城南三十里。初　高宗塔于白鹿原。後徙於此　中宗製影贊諡大遍覺　肅宗賜塔額。曰興教。因為興教寺。寺在少陵原之陽。年歲󴅰遠。塔無主。寺無僧。荒涼殘委。游者傷目。長慶初。有納衣僧曇景。始葺之。大和二年。安國寺三教談論大德內供奉賜紫義林。修三藏忌齋于寺。齋眾方食。見塔上有光。圓如覆鏡。道俗異之。林乃　上聞。乃與兩街三學人。共修身塔。兼礱一石於塔。至三年修畢。林乃化。遺言於門人令撿曰。爾必求文士銘之。撿泣奉遺教。直以銘為請。非法󴅶之冢嫡。誰何至此乎。軻三讓不可。乃略而銘之　三藏諱󴅶奘。俗陳姓。河南緱氏人。曾父欽後魏上黨太守。祖康北齊國子博士。父𠅤英。長八尺。美鬚眉。魁岸沉厚。號通儒。時人方漢郭林宗。有子四人。奘其季也。年十三。依兄󴅩出家於洛。屬隋季失御。乃從　高祖神堯於晉陽。俄又入蜀。學攝論毗曇於基暹二法師。武德五年受具。於成都。精究篇□。□學成實於趙州。深學俱舍於長安岳。於是西經前來者。無不貫綜矣。初中國學者。多以實相性空。通貫羣說。俾彖象蹄。笱往往失魚兔於得意之路。至於星羅碁布五法三性。扸秋毫。以矢名相界。地生彚。各有攸處。曾未暇也。大遍覺乃興言曰。佛理圓極。片言支說。未足師決。固是經來未盡。吾當求所未聞。俾跛眇兒視履。必使解行如函蓋。始可為具人矣。且法顯智嚴何人也。猶能孤遊天竺。而我安能坐致耶。初三藏之生母氏。夢法師白衣西去。母曰。何去。曰求法。貞觀三年。忽夢海中蘇迷盧山。遽凌波而入。乃見石蓮波外承足。山險不可上。試踴身騰踔。颯然飈舉升中。四望廓澈無際。覺而自占曰。我西行決矣。至涼州都督李大亮防禁持功逼法師還京。法師乃宵遁。渡瓠蘆河。出玉門。經莫賀延磧。艱難險阻。仆而復起者。何止百十耶。自爾涉流沙。次伊吾高昌王麴文泰。遣貴臣。以駝馬。迓法師於白力城。王與太妃及統師大臣等。尊以師禮。王親跪於座側。俾法師躡履而上。資贈甚厚。送至󰪑護可汗衙。又以二十四封書。通屈支等二十四國。獻花繒五百疋於可汗。稱法師是以弟。欲求大法於婆羅門國。願可汗。憐師如憐奴。其所歷諸國。為其王禮重。多此類也。自爾支提梵剎。神奇靈跡。往往而有。法師皆瀝誠盡敬。耳目所得。孕成多聞。與夫世稱博物者。何相萬耶。詳載如傳。唯至中印度。那爛陀寺等。遣下座二十人。明詳儀注者。引參正法藏即戒賢法師也。既入謁。肘膝著地嗚足已。然後起。法藏訊所從來。曰自支那。欲依師學瑜伽論。法藏聞則涕泗曰。解我三年前。夢金人之說。佇爾久矣。遂館於幼日王院覺賢房第四重閣。日供擔步羅菓一百二十枚。大人米等稱是。其尊敬如此。法師既名流五印。三學之士。仰之如天。故大乘師。號法師為摩訶天。小乘師號解脫天。乃白大法藏請留之。法師曰師等豈不欲支那之人。開佛慧眼耶。不數日。東印度王抅摩。迎法師。戒日王聞法師在拘摩處。遣使謂抅摩曰。急送支那僧來。抅摩曰。我頭可得。僧不可。戒日神武雄勇。名震諸國。乃怒曰。爾言頭可得。可將頭來。抅摩懼乃嚴象軍二萬。舡三萬。與法師同泝殑伽河。築行宮于河北。抅摩自迎戒日于河南。戒日曰。支那僧何不來。抅摩曰。大王可屈就。王既見法師。接足盡敬。且曰。弟子聞支那國有秦王破陳樂。乃問。秦王是何人。法師盛談太宗應天順人事。王曰。不如此。何以為支那主。因令法師出制惡見論。然小乘外道。未即推伏。請於曲女城。集五印沙門婆羅門等。兼十八國王。觀支那法師之論。凡十八日。無敢當其鋒者。戒日知法師無留意。厚以象馬󴅻裝餞法師。又以素疊印書。使達官送。法師所經諸國。令兵衛達漢境。法師却次于闐。因高昌商胡。人朝附表。奏自西域還　太宗特降天使迎勞。仍制于闐等道送法師。令燉煌迎於流沙。鄯鄯迎於沮沫。時　帝在洛陽　勅西京留守梁國公元齡偹有司迎待。是日宿于漕上。十九年春三月。景子留守自漕。奉迎於都亭。有司頒諸寺帳輿花幡。送經於宏福。翌日大會於朱󳭋街之南。陳列法師於西域所得經像舍利等。其梵文凡五百二十夾。六百五十七部。以二十馬負而至。自朱󳭋至宏福。十餘里。傾都士女。夾道鱗次。若人非人。曾不知幾俱胝矣。壬辰。法師謁　文武聖皇帝於洛陽宮。二月己亥。對於儀鸞殿。因廣問雪嶺已西諸國風俗。法師皆偹陳所歷。若指諸掌　太宗大悅。謂趙公無忌曰。昔苻堅稱道安為神器。今法師出之更遠。時　帝將征遼。法師請於嵩之少林翻譯　太宗曰。師西去後。朕為　穆太后。於西京造宏福寺。寺有禪院。可就翻譯。三月己巳。徙宏福。夏五月丁卯。法師方開貝葉。二十年秋七月。法師進新譯經論。仍請製經序。并進奉　勅撰西域記十二卷　太宗美法師風儀。又有公輔才。俾法師裼緇褐襲金紫。法師因以五義。褒揚聖德。乞不奪其志。遂問瑜伽十七地義　太宗謂侍臣曰。朕觀佛經。猶瞻天望海。法師能於異域。得是深法。非唯法師願力。亦朕與公等。宿殖所會。及三藏聖教序成　神筆自寫太宗居慶福殿。百寮陪位坐法師。命宏文館學士上官儀。對羣寮讀之。二十二年夏六月　天皇大帝。居春宮。又製述聖記。及菩薩藏經後序　太宗因問功德何最。法師對以度人。自隋季。天下祠宇殘毀。緇伍殆絕　太宗自此　勅天下諸州寺。宜各度五人。宏福寺度五十人。戊申　皇太子宣令請法師為慈恩上座。仍造翻經院。偹儀禮。自宏福迎法師　太宗與皇太子後宮等。於安福門。執香爐。目而送之。至寺門勅趙公英中書令褚。引入於殿內。奏九部樂。破陣舞。及百戲於庭而還。二十三年夏四月。法師隨　駕於翠微宮。談賞終日　太宗前席攘袂曰。恨相逢已晚。翌日　太宗崩於含風殿　高宗即位。法師還慈恩。專務翻譯。永徽三年春三月。法師於寺端門之陽。造石浮圖　高宗恐功大難成。令改用甎。塔有七級。凡一百八十尺。層層中心。皆有舍利。冬十月　中宮方姙。請法師加祐。既誕。神光滿院。則　中宗孝和皇帝也。請號為佛光王。受三歸服袈裟。度七人。請法師為王剃髮。及滿月。法師進金字般若心經及道具等。顯慶二年春二月　駕幸洛陽。法師與佛光王。發於駕前。既到館於積翠宮。終譯發智婆沙。法師早喪所天。因　扈從。還訪故里。得張氏姉。問塋壠已平矣。乃捧遺柩。改葬於西原　高宗勅所司公給備喪禮。盡飾終之道。洛下道俗。赴者萬餘人。釋氏榮之。三年正月　駕還西京　勑法師徙居西明寺　高宗以法師　先朝所重。禮敬彌厚。中使旁午。朝臣慰問。及錫賚無虗日。法師隨得隨散。中國重於般若。前代雖翻譯。猶未備。眾請翻焉。法師以功大恐難就。乃請于玉華宮翻譯。四年十月。法師如玉華館於肅成院。五年春正月一日。始翻梵本。總二十萬偈。法師汲汲然。常恐不得卒業。每厲譯徒。必當人百其心。至龍朔三年。方絕筆。法師翻般若後。精力刓耗。謂門人曰。吾所事畢矣。吾瞑目後。可以蘧蒢。為親身物。門人雨泣。且曰。和上何遽發此言。法師曰。吾知之矣。麟德元年春正月八日。門人󴅶覺夢一大浮圖倒。法師曰。此吾滅度之兆。遂命嘉尚法師。具錄所翻經論。合七十四部。總一千三百三十八卷。又造俱胝畵像。彌勒像。各一千幀。又造素像十俱胝。供養悲敬二田各萬人。燒百千燈。贖數萬生。乃與寺眾辭。三稱慈尊。願生內眷。至二月五日夜。弟子光□問云。和尚決定得生彌勒內眾否。頷云。得生。俄而去。春秋六十九矣。初　高宗聞法師疾作　御毉相望。於道及坊州。奏至　帝哀慟。為之罷　朝三日　勅坊州刺史竇師倫。令官給葬事。又　勅宜聽京城僧尼。送至塔所。門人奉柩於慈恩翻經堂。道俗奔赴者。日盈千萬。以四月十四日。葬於󱜔東。京畿五百里內。送者百餘萬人。至總章二年四月八日。有　勅徙於樊川北原。傷　聖情也。法師長七尺。眉目若畵。直視不顧。端嚴若神。自大教東流。翻譯之盛。未有如法師者。雖滕蘭澄什康會竺護之流。無等級以寄言。其彬彬郁郁。已布唐梵新經矣。自示疾至於昇神。奇應不可殫紀。蓋莫詳位次。非上地其孰能如此乎。文曰。

> In the year Ding-si, the second year of the Kaicheng era (837 CE), a monastic named Lingjian, who had completed the full precepts, traveled from the capital to Luoyang. He carried with him a blue silk bag containing the relics, writings, and biographies of the Tripitaka Master. He visited my humble thatched dwelling in the Xingxiu Ward and said, "I have long heard that you are skilled in refining the writings of many. How could you simply be known for your skill in Ban Gu and Sima Qian? Could you not become the Dong Hu of the Buddhist tradition? Have you not heard of the deeds of the Tripitaka Master of Ci'en Temple during the early Zhenguan era? I dare to convey his intent to you." The Tripitaka Master's deeds are recorded in the national history and the \*Biography of the Tripitaka Master of Ci'en Temple\*. His stupa now stands thirty li south of Chang'an. Initially, Emperor Gaozong built a stupa for him on White Deer Plain, but it was later moved to this location. Emperor Zhongzong composed a eulogy for his portrait and bestowed upon him the posthumous title "Great Pervasive Enlightenment." Emperor Suzong granted the stupa a plaque inscribed "Promoting the Teachings," and thus the temple became known as Xingjiao Temple. The temple is located on the southern slope of Shaoling Plain. As time passed, the stupa fell into disrepair, with no one to care for it, and the temple had no monks. It became desolate and dilapidated, causing distress to visitors. In the early Changqing era (821–824 CE), a monk named Tanjing, who wore patched robes, began to restore it. In the second year of the Dahe era (828 CE), Yilin, a renowned Dharma master of the Three Teachings from Anguo Temple, who was an imperial attendant and had been granted the purple robe, conducted a memorial feast for the Tripitaka Master at the temple. While the congregation was eating, they saw a light shining from the stupa, round like an overturned mirror. Both laypeople and monastics marveled at it. Yilin reported this to the emperor. He then, together with scholars from the three traditions of the two main avenues, jointly repaired the body stupa and also polished a stone for the stupa. The work was completed in the third year (830 CE), after which Yilin passed away. He left a final instruction to his disciple Lingjian: "You must seek a literary man to compose an inscription." Lingjian, weeping, received this final teaching. He earnestly requested an inscription from me. I declined three times, but could not refuse, so I have written a brief inscription. The Tripitaka Master's monastic name was Xuanzang, and his lay surname was Chen. He was a native of Goushi County in Henan. His great-grandfather, Qin, served as the Grand Administrator of Shangdang in the Later Wei. His grandfather, Kang, was a National University Erudite in the Northern Qi. His father, Huiying, was eight feet tall, with a handsome beard and eyebrows. He was imposing and magnanimous. Known as a "complete Confucian," he was compared to the Han-dynasty scholar Guo Linzong. He had four sons, and Xuanzang was the youngest. At the age of thirteen, Xuanzang followed his elder brother into monastic life in Luoyang. When the Sui dynasty fell into chaos, he followed Emperor Gaozu, the Divine Sovereign, to Jinyang. Soon after, he entered Shu (Sichuan). He studied the \*Mahayana-samgraha\* and the \*Abhidharma\* under the Dharma masters Zhi and Xian. In the fifth year of the Wude era (622 CE), he received the full precepts in Chengdu. He meticulously studied the texts and learned the \*Satyasiddhi-shastra\* in Zhao Prefecture. He deeply studied the \*Abhidharma-kosha\* under Yue in Chang'an. Thus, he thoroughly comprehended all the Western scriptures that had previously been transmitted to China. Initially, scholars in China often used the concepts of True Appearance and the Emptiness of inherent nature to weave through various teachings, like using a snare or a trap to catch fish or rabbits, yet often losing their essence on the path to understanding. As for the elaborate doctrines such as the Five Dharmas and the Three Natures, they meticulously analyzed them down to the finest details, assigning names and characteristics to realms and categories. Each had its place, but they had no time for this. Great Pervasive Enlightenment then declared, "The Buddha's teachings are perfect and ultimate. Mere fragments of speech and partial explanations are insufficient to guide. It is indeed because the scriptures have not been fully transmitted. I must seek out what has not yet been heard, so that the lame and the blind may see and walk. We must make understanding and practice fit together like a lid and box. Only then can one be considered a complete person. Moreover, are Dharma masters Faxian and Zhiyan not human? They could travel alone to India. How can I sit idly by?" Before the Tripitaka Master was born, his mother dreamed of a Dharma master dressed in white, heading west. She asked, "Where are you going?" He replied, "To seek the Dharma." In the third year of the Zhenguan era (629 CE), he suddenly dreamed of Mount Sumeru in the middle of an ocean. He promptly stepped onto the waves and entered. He then saw a stone lotus beneath the waves that supported his feet. The mountain was steep and impossible to climb. He tried to leap, and suddenly he soared upward like a whirlwind, reaching the summit. Gazing in all four directions, it was vast and unobstructed. When he awoke, he interpreted the dream for himself, saying, "My westward journey is decided." When he reached Liangzhou, the Grand Protector Li Daliang, enforcing restrictions, forced the Dharma master to return to the capital. The Dharma master then fled under the cover of night. He crossed the Hulu River, passed through the Jade Gate, and traversed the Moheyan Desert. He encountered countless hardships and dangers, falling down and rising again more than a hundred times. From there, he crossed the shifting sands and arrived at Yiwu. The king of Gaochang, Qu Wentai, sent high officials with camels and horses to greet the Dharma master at Baili City. The king, along with the queen mother, generals, and ministers, honored him with the rites due a teacher. The king personally knelt at the side of the Dharma master's seat, allowing him to step on his back to mount his horse. He provided him with ample gifts and sent him to the court of the Khagan of the Western Turks. He also sent twenty-four letters of introduction to twenty-four countries, including Kucha. He presented five hundred bolts of embroidered silk to the Khagan, saying that the Dharma master was his younger brother and that he sought the great Dharma in the land of the Brahmins. He begged the Khagan to cherish the master as he would cherish a servant. The way he was revered by the kings of the various countries he passed through was often like this. From then on, he encountered miraculous temples and sacred traces everywhere. The Dharma master always expressed his utmost sincerity and respect. What he saw and heard cultivated his vast knowledge. How different he was from those in the world who were merely called "knowledgeable"! The detailed account is recorded in his biography. When he finally reached the Nalanda Monastery in Central India, twenty junior monks who were well-versed in protocol led him to the presence of the Right Dharma Treasury, the Dharma master Shilabhadra (the "Virtuous Teacher"). After entering and paying respects, he knelt, touching his elbows and knees to the ground, and then prostrated, touching the Dharma master's feet. Only then did he rise. The Dharma master asked where he had come from. He replied, "From China. I wish to study the \*Yogacara-bhumi-shastra\* under you." Upon hearing this, the Dharma master wept and said, "This explains the dream I had three years ago, in which a golden figure appeared. I have been waiting for you for a long time." He then lodged Xuanzang in the fourth floor of the Juexian Chamber in the Guhyapada-vihara. Each day, he provided him with 120 fruits of the \*tambula\* tree and a commensurate amount of "Great Man's Rice." Such was the respect he showed. Having become renowned throughout the Five Regions of India, Xuanzang was looked up to by scholars of the three traditions as if he were the heavens. Thus, Mahayana masters called him "Mahadeva" (the Great God), while Hinayana masters called him "Vimoksha-deva" (the God of Liberation). The assembled masters then asked the great Dharma master to keep him there. Xuanzang said, "Do you masters not wish for the people of China to open their Buddha-eye of wisdom?" A few days later, the king of Eastern India, Kumara, came to welcome Xuanzang. Hearing that Xuanzang was with Kumara, King Siladitya (Harsha) sent a messenger to him, saying, "Send the Chinese monk to me immediately." Kumara replied, "You may take my head, but you cannot take the monk." Siladitya, a valiant and majestic king whose fame shook all nations, grew angry and said, "You said you could give your head. Then bring your head!" Frightened, Kumara mustered an army of 20,000 elephant soldiers and 30,000 boats. He and Xuanzang sailed up the Ganges River together. They built a temporary palace on the north bank of the river. Kumara himself went to welcome Siladitya on the south bank. Siladitya asked, "Why hasn't the Chinese monk come?" Kumara replied, "The Great King may deign to go to him." When the king met Xuanzang, he prostrated at his feet, showing the utmost respect. He then said, "Your disciple has heard that there is a musical piece in China called the 'Music of King Qin's Breaking of the Enemy's Ranks.' Who is this King Qin?" Xuanzang eloquently spoke of the Emperor Taizong's responses to heaven and his actions in accordance with the people's will. The king said, "If it were not so, how could he be the ruler of China?" He then asked Xuanzang to present his \*Treatise on Refuting Wrong Views\*. However, the Hinayanists and non-Buddhists were not immediately subdued. Siladitya then suggested they gather on the \*Kanyakubja\* (the city of Kannauj), convening monks, Brahmins, and kings from eighteen countries of the Five Indias, so they could judge the Chinese monk's treatise. For eighteen days, no one dared to challenge him. Realizing that Xuanzang had no intention of staying, Siladitya generously equipped him with elephants, horses, and provisions. He also sent officials with imprinted silks to accompany Xuanzang as he passed through various countries, providing military escorts until he reached China's borders. Xuanzang then halted in Khotan. Through a Khotanese merchant traveling to China, he submitted a memorial to the throne, reporting his return from the Western Regions. The Emperor Taizong specially sent an imperial envoy to welcome and comfort him. He also decreed that officials in Khotan and along the route should escort the Dharma master, and that officials in Dunhuang should welcome him in the shifting sands, and officials in Shanshan should welcome him at the Jumo River. At that time, the emperor was in Luoyang. He ordered the Duke of Liang, Fang Xuanling, the Governor of the Western Capital, to prepare a proper welcome. On that day, Xuanzang lodged at the Cao Canal. In the spring of the nineteenth year of the Zhenguan era (645 CE), on the day \*Bingzi\* of the third month, Fang Xuanling himself welcomed him at the capital's main pavilion. Officials distributed tents, carriages, flower canopies, and sent the scriptures to Hongfu Temple. The next day, a grand assembly was held south of the Vermilion Bird Avenue. They displayed the scriptures, statues, and relics Xuanzang had brought from the Western Regions. There were 520 bundles of Sanskrit texts, comprising 657 works, carried by twenty horses. From the Vermilion Bird Avenue to Hongfu Temple, a distance of over ten li, the entire city populace lined the streets like scales on a fish. Whether human or non-human, who knows how many \*kotis\* there were? On the day \*Renchen\*, Xuanzang paid homage to the Emperor Taizong, the Martial and Literary Sage, at Luoyang Palace. On the day \*Jihai\* of the second month, he was received at the Yiluan Hall. The emperor asked extensively about the customs of the various countries west of the Snow Mountains. Xuanzang recounted his experiences in detail, as if pointing to the palm of his hand. The Greatly Delighted Taizong said to the Duke of Zhao, Zhangsun Wuji, "In the past, Fu Jian called Dao'an a divine vessel. Today, our Dharma master surpasses him by far." At that time, the emperor was planning a campaign against Liao. Xuanzang requested to go to Shaolin Temple on Mount Song to translate the scriptures. The Emperor Taizong said, "After you, Master, went west, I built Hongfu Temple in the Western Capital for Empress Dowager Mu. The temple has a meditation hall; you may go there to translate." On the day \*Jisi\* of the third month, he moved to Hongfu Temple. In the summer, on the day \*Dingmao\* of the fifth month, the Dharma master began to open the palm-leaf manuscripts. In the autumn of the twentieth year of the Zhenguan era (646 CE), the seventh month, Xuanzang presented the newly translated sutras and commentaries. He also requested an imperial preface and presented the twelve-fascicle \*Record of the Western Regions\*, which he had written by imperial command. The Emperor Taizong admired Xuanzang's demeanor and bearing, seeing that he also possessed the talent of a high minister. He wished to robe Xuanzang in silk and gold, changing his monastic garb. Xuanzang, however, praised the emperor's virtue with five arguments, begging not to have his resolve diverted. Taizong then asked about the meaning of the seventeen stages of the \*Yogacara-bhumi-shastra\*. The Emperor Taizong said to his ministers, "When I observe the Buddhist scriptures, it is like gazing at the sky or looking out at the ocean. That this master could obtain such profound teachings in a foreign land is not only due to his own vow-power but also to the accumulated virtue you and I share." When the \*Preface to the Sacred Teachings of the Tripitaka\* was completed, the emperor himself wrote it with his divine brush. Taizong was in Qingfu Hall, with all officials attending. He seated the Dharma master and ordered the Grand Secretary of the Hongwen Pavilion, Shangguan Yi, to read it aloud before the assembled officials. In the summer of the twenty-second year of the Zhenguan era (648 CE), the Prince of Jin, later Emperor Gaozong, who was then the Crown Prince, composed the \*Record of the Sage's Teaching\* and the \*Postscript to the Sutra of the Bodhisattva Treasury (Maharatnakuta Sutra)\*. The Emperor Taizong then asked what the greatest merit was. The Dharma master replied that it was the ordination of monks. Since the end of the Sui dynasty, temples throughout the land had been damaged or destroyed, and the monastic order had nearly vanished. From that time, the Emperor Taizong decreed that each prefecture temple across the empire should ordain five people, and Hongfu Temple should ordain fifty. On the day \*Wushen\*, the Crown Prince issued an order inviting the Dharma master to serve as the Abbot of Ci'en Temple. He also established a translation hall there. With full ceremony and rites, they welcomed the Dharma master from Hongfu Temple. The Emperor Taizong, the Crown Prince, and the imperial consorts stood at the Gate of Peace and Blessing (Anfu Men), holding incense burners, watching as he departed. At the temple gate, they ordered the Duke of Zhao and the Secretariat Director Chu Suiliang to escort him inside the main hall. Nine types of music were played, the Dance of the Vanquished Armies (Po Zhen Wu) was performed, and a hundred entertainments were staged in the courtyard before the procession returned. In the summer, the fourth month of the twenty-third year of the Zhenguan era (649 CE), the Dharma master followed the imperial carriage to Cuiwei Palace, discoursing and delighting the emperor the entire day. The Emperor Taizong moved forward on his mat, rolling up his sleeves, and said, "I regret that we met so late." The next day, the Emperor Taizong passed away in Hanfeng Hall. With the accession of Emperor Gaozong, the Dharma master returned to Ci'en Temple, devoting himself exclusively to translation work. In the spring, the third month of the third year of the Yonghui era (652 CE), the Dharma master constructed a stone stūpa at the south end of the main temple gate. Emperor Gaozong, fearing the project would be too difficult to complete, ordered that fired bricks be used instead. The stūpa had seven levels, one hundred and eighty feet in height. At the center of each level were relics. In the winter, the tenth month, the Empress was pregnant and requested the Dharma master's blessing. When the prince was born, a divine light filled the courtyard. This was the future Emperor Zhongzong, the Filial and Peaceful (Zhongxiao He) Emperor. He was given the Dharma name "Buddha Light King" (\*Buddha-prabha-raja\*). He received the Three Refuges, wore a monastic robe, and seven people were ordained on his behalf. The Dharma master was requested to perform his tonsure. At the full moon celebration, the Dharma master presented the \*Heart Sūtra\*, written in gold, along with ritual implements. In the spring, the second month of the second year of the Xianqing era (657 CE), the emperor traveled to Luoyang. The Dharma master and the Buddha Light King proceeded ahead of the imperial carriage. Upon arrival, he was lodged at Jicui Palace, where he completed the translation of the \*Abhidharma-maha-vibhasa-shastra\*. Having long lost his parents, the Dharma master took this opportunity to visit his hometown while accompanying the emperor. Finding his sister, Mrs. Zhang, he learned that his parents' graves had been leveled. He then retrieved their coffins and reburied them on the western plain. Emperor Gaozong ordered the relevant authorities to provide funeral rites at public expense, ensuring all proper honors were performed. Over ten thousand laypeople and monastics from the Luoyang region attended, a great honor for the Buddhist community. In the first month of the third year (658 CE), the emperor returned to the Western Capital. He commanded the Dharma master to move to Ximing Temple. Because the Dharma master had been held in high regard by the previous emperor, Gaozong's respect for him was even greater. Imperial messengers were constantly coming and going, ministers offered their condolences and gifts were bestowed without a day's pause. Whatever the Dharma master received, he immediately distributed to others. China had long valued the \*Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras\*. While they had been translated in earlier times, the translations were incomplete. The assembly requested that he translate them. The Dharma master, fearing that the labor would be too great to complete, asked to do the translation at Yuhua Palace. In the tenth month of the fourth year of the Xianqing era (659 CE), the Dharma master arrived at Yuhua Palace and took up residence in Sucheng Hall. On the first day of the first month of the spring of the fifth year (660 CE), he began translating the Sanskrit text, which consisted of two hundred thousand of \*\*twenty thousand\*\* ślokas. The Dharma master worked tirelessly, constantly fearing he might not finish the task. He constantly urged his translation team to put forth a hundredfold effort. It was not until the third year of the Longshuo era (663 CE) that he finally laid down his pen. After completing the translation of the \*Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras\*, the Dharma master's energy was depleted. He said to his disciples, "My work is done. After I close my eyes, you may use a reed mat as my burial shroud." The disciples wept and said, "Why, Master, do you suddenly speak in this way?" The Dharma master replied, "I know it is so." In the spring of the first year of the Linde era (664 CE), on the eighth day of the first month, a disciple, Jue, dreamed of a large stūpa collapsing. The Dharma master said, "This is an omen of my passing." He then ordered the Dharma master Jiasang to make a complete record of the translations: seventy-four works, totaling 1,338 fascicles. He also had images of the Buddha and of Maitreya painted, each set of a thousand. He also had ten \*koṭi\* of plain images made. He provided offerings to ten thousand people each for the fields of compassion and respect. He had hundreds of thousands of lamps lit and redeemed the lives of tens of thousands of creatures. Taking leave of the monastic community, he thrice repeated the name of the Venerable Maitreya, expressing his wish to be reborn in his inner retinue. On the night of the fifth day of the second month, a disciple, Guang, asked him, "Master, have you determined whether you will be reborn in the inner retinue of Maitreya?" The Dharma master nodded, saying, "Yes, I will be reborn there." Soon after, he passed away. He was sixty-nine years old. Initially, when Emperor Gaozong heard that the Dharma master had fallen ill, imperial physicians traveled the road to attend to him. When the report of his passing arrived, the emperor was deeply grieved and halted his court affairs for three days. He ordered the Prefect of Fangzhou, Dou Shilun, to provide for the funeral arrangements at public expense. He also decreed that monks and nuns from the capital should be allowed to escort his body to the stūpa. The disciples carried his body to the translation hall of Ci'en Temple. Laypeople and monastics, mourning and flocking to pay their respects, numbered hundreds of thousands daily. On the fourteenth day of the fourth month, he was buried on the eastern plain of Chang'an. The mourners within a radius of five hundred li numbered over a million. On the eighth day of the fourth month of the second year of the General Chapter of the Zongzhang era (669 CE), there was an imperial decree to move his remains to the northern plain at Fanchuan, a testimony to the emperor's deep reverence for the Dharma master. The Dharma master was seven feet tall, with eyes and eyebrows as if painted. He had a direct gaze without distraction, dignified and imposing, like a deity. Since the Great Vehicle (the Buddha's teachings) had flowed east, no one matched the Dharma master in the abundance of his translations. Even the greats like Kāśyapa Mātanga, Dharmarakṣa, Kumārajīva, Kang Sengkai (Sanghabheda), and Zhu Fahu (Dharmarakṣa) were beyond comparison. The brilliance of the new Chinese and Sanskrit texts he had produced was truly magnificent. From the time he fell ill to his final passing, the miraculous responses are too many to record. His exact spiritual level is difficult to ascertain. If he were not one of the higher stages, who else could have such achievements? The inscription reads: ...

三藏之生。本乘願來。入自聖胎。出於鳳堆。大業之季。龍潛於并。孺子謁　帝。與兄偕行　神堯奇之。善果度之。不為人臣。必為人師。師法未足。自洛徂蜀。學無常師。鳥必擇木。跡窮夷夏。更討身毒。寺入爛陀。師遇尸羅。王逢戒日。論得瑜伽。瑜伽師地。藏教泉府。蝟𧎩名數。蠒抽聖緒。我握其摳。赤幡仍竪。名高曲女。歸我真主。主當　文皇。臣當蔡梁。天下真觀。佛氏以光。光光三藏。是護是付。付得其人。經論彬彬。梵語華言。胡漢相宣。台臣筆受。御膝前席。積翠飛花。恩光奕奕太宗序教　天皇述聖。揚於王庭。百辟流詠。三藏慰喜。靈祇介祉。篾彼滕什。□無此事。我功成矣。我名遂矣。脫屣玉華。昇神睹史。發棺開殮。天香馥馥。地位孰分。神人是卜。中南地高。樊川氣清。修塔者誰。林公是營。門人令撿。實尸其事。銘勒塔旁。撿真法子。

> The birth of the Tripitaka Master originated from a vow. He entered the sacred womb and emerged from the phoenix nest. In the final years of the Great Enterprise era, \[the future emperor\] was still in obscurity in Bing. As a child, the master paid respects to the emperor. He journeyed with his elder brother. The Divine Sage Yao was astonished by him. Shan Guo oversaw his ordination. He was destined not to be a courtier, but a teacher. Yet his study of the Dharma was incomplete. He traveled from Luo to Shu. He studied without a fixed teacher, like a bird that chooses its tree. He reached the limits of Chinese and barbarian lands, then sought India. He entered Nalanda Monastery. He met the teacher Shilabhadra. The king \[Harsha\] encountered the precepts of abstention. He debated the Yogacara. Completely mastering the Yogacara-bhumi-sastra, the treasure-house of the sutras and shastras, the multitude of names and numbers from the hedgehog and the silk moth. He unraveled the sacred thread of the saints, holding its essential core. The red banner was thus raised high. His fame rose high in Kanyakubja. He returned to his true lord. The lord was Emperor Wen. The ministers were Cai and Liang. Under the perfected view of the world, the Buddha's teachings shone. Venerable, venerable Tripitaka, he was protected and entrusted. The one entrusted was the right man. The sutras and shastras were refined and elegant. Sanskrit and Chinese, Hu and Han, illuminated each other. The court ministers recorded his words. The emperor leaned in on his mat. With verdant peaks and falling blossoms, the imperial grace shone brilliantly. The Taizong Emperor composed the preface, the Heavenly August proclaimed the sacred verse. It was proclaimed in the royal court, and all officials sang its praises. The Tripitaka Master was comforted and joyful. The spirits and gods bestowed blessings. He surpassed Kumārajīva and Xuanzang. There was no such matter as this. My work is complete. My fame is fulfilled. He cast off his slippers at Yuhua temple and ascended in spirit to the Tusita Heaven. When his coffin was opened for enshrinement, the celestial fragrance was rich. Who could distinguish his spiritual state? The gods and men made their divination. The land of Zhongnan is high; the waters of Fan River are pure. Who built the pagoda? Master Lin undertook the work. The disciple Jian, in truth, managed the affair. The inscription is engraved beside the pagoda. Jian is a true son of the Dharma.

開成四年五月十六日馮翊沙門令撿修建

> May 16th, the fourth year of the Kaicheng reign period, built by the monk Lingjian from Fengyi.